Marvel: What If Thanos Adopted A Saiyan?-Chapter 202 - 203: The Tyrannical Lothar
"Son of Titan?"
"Lord of the Chitauri homeworld?"
"Champion of the Sakaaran Arena?"
What kind of absurd, flashy titles were these?
Just call him by name, Lothar. What was the point of all that pomp and ceremony? Rhomann Dey had heard the name before.
Lothar, Prince of the Black Quadrant, son of Thanos, the last living Eternal Titan in the cosmos. A cold-blooded force of destruction who once annihilated three fleets belonging to the Kree Accuser Corps singlehandedly.
That name had long since circulated among those in the know, ever since the deaths of those three Accusers.
He was the kind of monster who could play with planets like toys, a being who viewed entire civilizations as beneath notice.
The souls lost on Planet N52 still screamed silently for justice.
To Rhomann Dey, those Kree hadn’t deserved better, perhaps. But that wasn’t the reason he could stomach what Lothar had done.
"You’re looking for Nova Prime?"
"Sorry. She’s not here."
"You’ve come to the wrong place."
Dusting off the ash and debris clinging to his uniform, Rhomann Dey slowly stood. Though visibly bruised and worn, he straightened his posture before Lothar. Behind him, members of the Nova Corps, battered but determined, helped each other up and stood tall, galvanized by his defiance.
They were the last line of defense for the Nova Estate.
Even if it meant giving their lives, they had to buy time for their next leader, Nova Prime, to escape.
Yes, from the moment The Other spoke Lothar’s name, they had all resigned themselves to the idea that death was coming.
Lothar was no longer just Thanos’ son. His name alone now carried weight, enough to terrify empires.
Using the entire planet N52 as a kinetic weapon to obliterate the Kree fleet had seared his ruthlessness into the minds of those across the galaxy.
No one had ever dared provoke the Kree Empire like that.
And the most terrifying part? The Kree had swallowed the humiliation in silence.
"Oh?"
Lothar raised an eyebrow and slowly lifted his right hand. In the blink of an eye, countless glowing energy bolts materialized at his fingertips, and in the next, they surged forward in a merciless barrage.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!!
The thunderous detonations ripped through the air like a cosmic shockwave, slamming Rhomann Dey backward as if struck by a meteor.
"Stop!!"
A voice, sharp and furious, cut through the chaos.
The energy bolts froze mid-air.
From the ruins of the Nova Estate emerged a young woman, her golden bob-cut hair disheveled and face smeared with dust and ash. Her blue uniform was shredded from the storm of energy, but her presence radiated strength.
"I’m Nova Prime. Stop this, now."
There was no fear in her eyes. Only anger, and control.
"No, Prime, you shouldn’t have come out..."
Rhomann Dey, bloodied and barely conscious, tried to reach her, but The Other, moving without a sound, struck him on the head with his staff.
He crumpled to the ground, unconscious.
"Lothar, son of Thanos, I’ve heard of you," Nova Prime said, her voice steady despite the tension coiling in her muscles. "I don’t know why you’re looking for me, but I’m here. Let them go."
She caught The Other’s smug gesture from the corner of her eye but chose to focus on keeping her tone calm.
"Prince Lothar," said Woz, his mechanical voice filtering through a glowing HUD, "subject identification confirmed via biometric scan. This is indeed Nova Prime, heir to leadership of Xandar."
"Much more cooperative than I expected," Lothar said as he lowered his hand and casually strode toward her. With a slow, deliberate motion, he gripped her chin and tilted her face upward, gazing down with a look that made the future leader of Xandar bristle with disgust.
"What do you want from me?"
Nova Prime’s brows furrowed in pain and defiance, her eyes blazing.
"There are two items," Lothar said coldly. "Both stored within the Nova Corps’ central base. Woz."
At his command, a brilliant blue hologram shimmered into existence before her, projected by Woz.
A metallic pedestal etched with arcane carvings. Atop it, a small, glowing violet orb.
The sight made Nova Prime’s expression change instantly.
"You’re working with the cosmic syndicates?! You’re one of those underworld remnants?!"
"No," Lothar replied as he dropped his Super Saiyan form. These people were simply too weak, not even worth fighting.
"I have no interest in their petty affairs."
"But, Lothar, if that object falls into the wrong—"
ZING!
Nova Prime’s pupils shrank in horror. A razor-thin beam of energy flashed from Lothar’s fingertip, slicing past her temple, and pierced clean through the chest of a Nova Corps soldier behind her.
"You think that concerns me?"
Lothar lowered his hand. The mocking curve of his lips stabbed at Nova Prime’s pride like a blade.
This was just business. Jack Jones wanted those two artifacts, and Lothar wanted the information he had on the Soul Stone. A simple exchange.
What would happen afterward? That wasn’t Lothar’s concern.
"Lothar!"
A voice roared overhead.
Descending from the sky with stormy precision came Hela, her still-damp hair trailing like raven feathers. She landed beside Lothar, her face twisted in fury.
All around her, the estate lay in ruins.
"We were supposed to talk through a plan, quietly. What in Hel is this?! Trying to get a taste of the Nova Corps’ star-destroyer-grade weapons for fun?"
"Prince Lothar," Woz reported calmly, "multiple Nova Corps battalions detected en route to our position."
Hela’s face darkened further.
"Take her," she snapped. "We’re leaving."
"No."
"What?"
Hela stopped cold, turning to glare at Lothar.
"You know the fastest way to make the Xandarians give us what we want?"
Lothar’s smirk grew wider, so much that even Hela felt a chill crawl up her spine.
"Don’t you dare, Lothar. Don’t do anything stupid!"
"Stupid? Not at all."
Crossing his arms over his chest, Lothar’s prehensile tail lashed out, coiling around the stunned Nova Prime and lifting her into the air despite her furious struggling.
"Projection time."
Woz, catching the cue, mimicked The Other’s theatrical tone as a massive light-screen unfolded across the skies of Xandar, so large that the entire capital could see it clearly. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞
Suspended in the air, arms crossed and face lit by the wind, Lothar’s image towered over the city.
"This guy... is he always this dramatic?"
Even the perpetually bored Jack Jones noticed the colossal display. And the woman bound in Lothar’s tail?
Nova Prime.
His eyes widened.
Jack Jones swallowed hard. He could already imagine how the Nova Corps would react to this madness.
One man against an army?
"Is he insane?"
This wasn’t the Kree Empire. There was no spare N52 planet here for him to throw around.
"Xandarians! You have ten minutes. Bring me the two artifacts, and take back your future queen."
The enormous projection split into two, showcasing the very items Jack Jones had asked for, crystal-clear for all to see.
Above, Lothar’s smirk deepened as the breeze danced across his face.
Arms crossed, hovering in the sky, utterly unshakable. The sight ignited a burning fury in the hastily gathering Nova Corps.
"If not, she dies."
The moment the words left his lips, a beam of energy erupted from Lothar’s finger, piercing clean through Nova Prime’s shoulder.
A crimson flower bloomed in the air.
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